The present invention relates generally to a pedal apparatus for use in a performance of a percussion instrument, such as a bass drum of a drum set, and more particularly to an improvement in a structure for bearing or supporting a pivot shaft.
FIG. 7A is a side view of a conventionally-known pedal apparatus 100 for a percussion instrument, and FIG. 7B is a front view of the pedal apparatus 100 of FIG. 7A taken in a direction of arrow E of FIG. 7A. As shown FIGS. 7A and 7B, a frame 110 of the pedal apparatus 100 includes a pair of left and right support posts 112 provided on and extending upward from an under plate 111, and support sections 113 provided at the respective upper ends of the left and right support posts 112 pivotably bear or support a pivot shaft 102 via not-shown bearings. A rocker member 103 is fixed to the pivot shaft 102, and a rod 105 having a beater 107 at its distal end is mounted to the rocker member 103. A transmission mechanism 104, which comprises for example a chain member, is connected at its one end to the front end of a foot board 106 and connected at the other end to the rocker member 103. The pivot shaft 102 pivots via the transmission mechanism 104 in response to a user depressing the board 106, and the beater 107 strikes a bass drum (not shown) in response to the pivoting of the pivot shaft 102. The construction of such a pedal apparatus is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent No. 2738318.
In the frame 110 of the aforementioned conventionally-known pedal apparatus 100, the support posts 112 and the support sections 113 are formed integrally with each other. Thus, with the pivot shaft 102 mounted to the support sections 113, the pivot shaft 102 may rattle or wobble due to distortion, deformation, etc. caused during the integral formation of the support posts 112 and the support sections 113. However, with the conventionally-known, integrally-formed frame 110, where positions, relative to the frame 110, of the support sections 113 supporting the opposite end portions of the pivot shaft 102 and the bearings are fixed, there can be provided no means to adjust a relative mounted position of the pivot shaft 102 to the frame 110 (support sections 113), and thus, it is not possible to correct the unwanted wobbling of the pivot shaft 102.
Further, in the case where the support posts 112 and the support sections 113 are formed integrally with each other as noted above, the respective shaft bearing axes of the left and right support sections 113 may be undesirably displaced with each other with respect to the axis of the pivot shaft 102 or may even curve or bend due to the distortion, deformation, etc. caused during the integral formation. Because the left and right support sections 113 are considerably spaced from each other, it is difficult to correct the displacement of the shaft bearing axes of the left and right support sections 113 by post-processing following the formation of the frame 110.
Furthermore, the foot board 106 is pivotably mounted at the rear end to a heel section 114 via a hinge section 108. Left and right support sections 115 supporting a pivot shaft 108a of the hinge section 108 are integrally formed with the heel section 114. Thus, with the structure for supporting the hinge section 108 at the rear end of the foot board 106 too, there would be encountered the problems that: a relative mounted position of the hinge section 108 to the heel section 114 cannot be adjusted; the respective shaft bearing axes of the left and right support sections 115 may be undesirably disaligned or displaced with each other with respect to the axis of the pivot shaft 108a; and it is difficult to correct the displacement of the shaft bearing axes of the left and right support sections 115 by post-processing.
Further, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,894,210 and 9,236,038 corresponding to Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2016-095379 also disclose prior art of a pedal apparatus for a percussion instrument.